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Russian diplomat warns Poland hatching ‘mission creep’ scheme into Ukraine

"The reference to Russia’s special military operation is nothing more than a pretext," Maria Zakharova noted

© Vladimir Gerdo/TASS

MOSCOW, May 25. /TASS/. Recent developments indicate that Warsaw is seeking to mount a "mission creep" scheme into Ukraine, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a briefing on Wednesday.

"It cannot be ruled out that Warsaw is, of course, hatching plans for some sort of mission creep into the territory of the neighboring state. In any case, the fact speaks for themselves. In this instance, the reference to Russia’s special military operation is nothing more than a pretext," she noted.

On Sunday, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky announced to the Verkhovna Rada (parliament) that an agreement had been struck with Poland to relax border crossing rules for both countries. He added that the current situation "has involuntarily made Ukraine and Poland forget the disputes about their shared past." Zelensky had announced earlier that a bill on expanded opportunities for Polish citizens in Ukraine would be adopted.

Meanwhile, Zakharova wrote on her Telegram channel that by proclaiming the special status of Polish citizens in Ukraine, the Kiev regime would grant them rights within Ukraine, thus de facto formalizing the country’s takeover.

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